A finite strain thermo-viscoelastic constitutive model to describe the self-heating in elastomeric materials during low-cycle fatigue

A thermo-visco-hyperelastic constitutive model, in accordance with the second thermodynamics principle, is formulated to describe the self-heating evolution in elastomeric materials under cyclic loading. The mechanical part of the model is based upon a Zener rheological representation in which the specific free energy potential is dependent on an added internal variable, allowing the description of the time-dependent mechanical response. The large strain mechanical behavior is described using a Langevin spring, while the continuous stresssoftening under cyclic loading is taken into account by means of a network alteration kinetics. The thermo-mechanical coupling is defined by postulating the existence of a dissipation pseudo-potential, function of the viscous dilatation tensor. The proposed model is fully threedimensional and is implemented into a finite element code. The model parameters are identified using experimental data obtained on a styrene-butadiene rubber under a given strain rate for different strain conditions. Predicted evolutions given by the model for other strain rates are found in good agreement with the experimental data. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.